Artful Deception
by SoulSeeker
Summary: Ran's birthday is coming up soon, and Shinichi needs a cure so he can go. Ai helps him out, like always, but something isn't right...How did the Black Organization find out he's still alive? [Shinichi x Ran] [Hiatus...sorry!]
1. Patience is a Virtue

**Artful Deception  
Chapter 1:** Patience is a Virtue  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Detective Conan, Shinichi would be back by now! (My way of saying "No, I do not own Detective Conan" xP)

_Hey everybody! n.n This is my first shot at a Detective Conan fanfic, so I hope it turns out all right. I've worked pretty hard on it. Please R&R :D_

* * *

Looking out the window of his room, all Shinichi could see was black. The air was humid and cold, the night was still, and everything was dead quiet; not that he would've known. Shinichi was perfectly comfortable indoors, wrapped up in his blanket inside the heat-furnished Mouri Detective Agency. He was still there, living his life as Conan; and he was anything but asleep.

He had given up on sleeping at least an hour before, and for a while he was reading his dad's new installment to the Night Baron book series. He enjoyed it, and it was effectively getting his mind off certain things that he didn't want to think about; however, he was only using the light of his flashlight watch that Dr. Agasa had given him, and all other lights were off. It was annoyingly painful on his eyes, and when he began to get a headache, it was a blaring signal to him that he definitely needed a break. He was considering going downstairs to the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot chocolate, thinking that it might make him feel better. His watch read 3:45am; he figured he could easily go downstairs, make his hot chocolate, and come back up to his room without waking anyone up. After all, they would be asleep for several more hours, and it would give him something to do other than killing his eyes reading.

He got up out of bed and stretched, feeling like he hadn't moved in years, and then headed out of his room, being very quiet. He then noticed that the light was on in the living room; apparently someone had woken up and gone downstairs without him noticing. He proceeded down the steps to find out who it was, finding it very strange that he couldn't remember hearing any footsteps at all that morning. He assumed that he was probably reading at the time, not paying attention.

"Ran-neechan?" he asked, seeing her sitting on the couch in a daze. She looked over to Conan, a little surprised.

"Hey, Conan, I didn't know you were up," she said. "It's really early. What are you doing?"

Conan shrugged. "Not sleeping," he replied. He took a seat next to her on the couch, noticing something in her hands. "And what are those?" he asked.

Ran looked down at the little papers in her hand. "Oh these? Just invitations to my birthday party next week…" she replied. "I'm going to hand them out when I go back to school Monday. Heiji and Kazuha are invited too, of course. I already mailed theirs to them a couple days ago." She smiled and held them so Conan could get a better look.

"Wow! I didn't know that your birthday was coming up so soon, Ran-neechan!" Conan said excitedly. It was a boldfaced lie; of course he had known. It was the main reason he had been so eager for a cure lately. He had never missed any of Ran's birthdays as long as he had known her, and the thought of having to miss one because of his stupid predicament sickened him.

"Really?" she asked. "I guess I didn't tell you."

Conan shook his head. "Uh-uh," he replied. His attention was drawn to the invitations when Ran began to flip through them. There was Sonoko of course, and a few other names he recognized, but he couldn't help but notice that her eyes lingered on one invitation in particular – and he wasn't surprised when he saw whose it was.

"You really want him to come, huh?" he asked. "Shinichi, I mean." It was a rather obvious question to which Conan already knew the answer, but he didn't really care.

"Well, of course!" she replied with a smile.

"I bet he will," Conan said.

Ran giggled. "Maybe…" she said. "With his big case going on, I wouldn't be surprised if he forgot about my birthday all together…"

Conan shook his head. "I doubt it," he said.

"Well, we're talking about someone who forgets his _own_ birthday…" she reminded him, laughing a bit.

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit too. "Yeah that's true, I suppose…but trust me, he remembers," Conan replied confidently.

"You should hear yourself," Ran replied, giggling again. "You sound like you think you know more about him than I do…"

Conan scratched his head and chuckled nervously. _Well, I would certainly hope so… _he thought. There was silence between them, and for a moment, Conan thought he heard crickets chirping.

"Well… one thing still kind of bothers me," Ran thought aloud.

Conan looked curious. "What is it, Ran-neechan?" he asked.

"Well, it's just that whenever he calls…something about the way he talks just makes it seem like he's never even left at all," she said. "He always knows so much about what's going on in my life, even though I barely know anything about what's going on with him anymore. And when I ask him about _how_ he knows, he always seems to come up with some off-the-wall explanation… yet it always makes sense, so it's not like I can question it..."

Conan scratched his head, unsure of the right thing to say. "Well, I mean… I tell him a lot of things," he informed her. "About you and what's going on here. He's always asking me, because… uh… well, he's worried about you and um… he doesn't want to annoy you with silly questions about your life all the time and seem …nosy." He let out a little nervous giggle, hoping she wouldn't notice how suspicious and not true that had actually sounded.

Ran yawned. "'Doesn't want to _annoy_ me' …yeah, right," shemuttered with obvious sarcasm in her voice. "He's out there solving murders and complex cases, facing dangerous criminals, yet he's afraid to show that he's worried about someone he's known since he could barely walk." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Typical."

The 'little boy' laughed a little, and decided that now would be a good time for a subject change. "Anyways… Ran-neechan, you look really tired…maybe you should go back to bed," Conan suggested. "It's still really early."

She nodded, slowly getting up. "Sleep sounds good about now," Ran replied. "And you know, maybe you should get some sleep, too. It's not healthy for little boys like you to stay up so late and wake up so early. Don't try to fool me; I _know_ you were up late reading last night."

He giggled innocently, scratching his head again. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. _Looks like she's not a bad detective herself_, he noted. His eyes wandered over to the stack of invitations again, seeing that his own had been put on top. "Oh, before you go Ran-neechan, there_ is_ something I wanted to ask you," he said.

Ran got up and stretched, realizing how tired she really was. It seemed that neither of them got the sleep they needed. "What is it, Conan?" she asked.

He grabbed his invitation from the pile and held it up to her. "Why did you make Shinichi an invitation even though you knew you wouldn't be able to give it to him personally?" he asked. "It's sort of a waste of paper, wouldn't you say?"

She took the invitation from Conan's hand and giggled a bit. "How observant of you," she remarked. "I don't know really…I guess part of me was _hoping_ that I'd be able to give it to him, that's all. But I suppose I'll have to call him instead. Sonoko's been bugging me about that, so maybe if I do it today, she'll finally get off my case." She put the invitation with the others where it belonged and found her way to the stairs. "Coming?" she asked, looking back at Conan with a smile.

He nodded to Ran and after switching off the light, he made his way to her and followed her up the stairs to their rooms. Conan didn't even realize that he never did get his hot chocolate. They parted, Ran going to her own room and Conan going into his.

"All right, well, get some sleep Conan," she told him. "Good night."

"'You too Ran-neechan," he replied. "Night!"

* * *

Conan woke up again to the sun shining bright in his delicate eyes. They remained closed, as he moved his arm in front of his face in an attempt to shield it, but it wasn't working all that well. He sighed, grabbing his blanket and pulling it over his head instead, which proved much more effective, but he knew he had to get up and face the day eventually. 

He managed to get on his feet, and after much staggering, finally became conscious enough to make his bed. It could barely recognized as the same bed he slept in – the sheets coming off of the bed, blankets everywhere, pillows magically ending up on the other end of the bed where his feet were; this detective certainly was active in his sleep. He could only wonder what kind of twisted dreams he must have been having, yet never could remember; and he decided that was a good thing.

He grabbed his glasses, which he had found knocked over next to his nightstand, and wiped them off on his shirt. After putting them on, he left his room, following the smell of food all the way down to the kitchen until he found Ran. She had set the table and was bringing over the breakfast she had just finished cooking.

"Hey, Conan!" she greeted. "Hope you slept well the second time around." She smiled and put the food down on the table in the center where it could be easily reached by anyone sitting around the table. "Go ahead, have a seat and help yourself. Careful though, it's still hot."

She took a seat herself and watched as Conan did the same. "Thanks, Ran-neechan," hereplied with a smile. They both glanced over to the remaining empty seat. There was a silence, and finally Ran sighed, putting a hand on her forehead.

"I woke him up at _least_ ten minutes ago…" sherecalled angrily. "It'll be his own fault if he has to eat a cold breakfast." She took the fork in her hand and stabbed it into her food, scooping it up and taking a rather violent bite.

"Your dad never _has_ been a morning person…" Conan noted, taking a bite of his own food.

"That's no excuse," she replied, taking another violent bite. "He told me he was going to call mom today to invite her to my party himself, and now it's going to be too late because she will have already left for work." She grumbled.

"Can't he call her at work?" Conan asked.

"No. Mom wouldn't give him the new number," she told him. "Not that I blame her…"

Conan gave a look of understanding, and continued to slowly eat his food. Ran, however, had been speeding through on the energy of her anger, and was almost done.

"It doesn't matter. He's not going to get out of it," she snapped. "He promised me he'd call her and he's _going_ to."

"Well, no harm in calling her _after_ work, right?" Conan asked innocently.

Ran sighed. "Yeah I guess not," she growled. "He just keeps pushing it back, that's all, and it's _really _driving me up the wall." She violently grabbed her plate and headed over to the kitchen, taking Conan's plate on the way as she noticed that he had finished as well. She was back in the room in a matter of seconds.

"Er, thanks…" Conan replied. "Oh and, uh, Ran-neechan?"

"Hmm?" she replied.

"Well, Ayumi-chan was thinking, and she said that since there haven't been that many cases around here for the Detective Boys, we should spend a day playing detective games, so that our detective skills would still be top notch for our next case," he explained. "She asked Dr. Agasa about it and he already agreed, and they told me to be over after breakfast…" Conan trailed off, and stopped when he realized he had said enough.

"Aw, how adorable!" Ran marked with a smile. "Well, of_ course_ you can go...just go get whatever you need and I'll walk you over, okay?" She grinned.

Conan nodded and smiled. "Okay, Ran-neechan, thanks!" he exclaimed, running up the stairs. He grabbed his cell phone, safely concealing it in his jacket. It was his own cell phone, and he could remember Ran saying that he was going to call him today to invite him to the party. If she were to see that it was in Conan's possession, there'd be no doubt that she'd be suspicious – which was why he was getting out of the agency for the day with the excuse he made up. Since he also had matters to discuss with Dr. Agasa and Ai, it was the perfect place to go.

He went back downstairs and found Ran ready at the door, with her jacket on and keys in her hands, and he noticed that she had left a note for her father. It was a smart thing to do, though Conan still had doubts about him waking up before they got back.

"Ready?" Ran asked.

"Let's go!" Conan said enthusiastically.

They both headed for Dr. Agasa's house. It was a ten-minute walk at most, but of course Ran wouldn't let little Conan go alone; not that Shinichi was complaining about the extra time with her.

Ran took nice deep breaths, maintaining a smile. Something about being outdoors had lightened her mood immensely. "Nice out, huh?" Ran asked. "Kinda chilly."

Conan nodded. "Yeah, sure is…" he replied, giggling.

"But I like it," she added.

"Me too…"

There was an awkward silence as Ran appeared to be taking a stroll down memory lane, and Dr. Agasa's house finally came into view. Ran's eyes, however, had been fixated on the house _next_ to it, belonging to a certain someone. She turned to Conan suddenly, breaking herself out of her trance.

"Well, you can make it from here right?" she asked.

Conan turned to her and nodded. "Yep! I'll be fine, Ran-neechan," he assured her. "Thanks."

Ran nodded. "No problem Conan. Don't stay too late now, okay?" she warned him.

"Okay. See you later!" Conan called. He started to walk the rest of the block to Dr. Agasa's house, as Ran turned back the other way to head back to the agency. He had mindlessly walked on, and realizing that he was coming up to his own house, he stopped. He stared inside with curiosity in his eyes, wondering what he would find if he went in. He even began to suspect truth in all the ghost myths surrounding his house that the Detective Boys so eagerly told; it was strange how a place, once so familiar, could seem so foreign.

"Looking for yourself, are you?"

Conan jumped what felt like ten feet in the air and his heart skipped a beat, as he turned around to see who's voice it was.

"Haibara! Geez, don't scare me like that!" he exclaimed.

"Good morning to you, too, Kudo," she replied emotionlessly, continuing the extra few steps to Dr. Agasa's. Conan sighed, shaking his head, and decided to follow her as he noticed the Doc walking up beside him. Based on the bags they were carrying, he figured they had just gone grocery shopping.

"Did you need something, Shinichi?" he asked. "Come on inside, we can talk in there."

Dr. Agasa followed Ai inside, as Conan followed behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he got inside the house and took off his jacket, palming his cell phone before he put the jacket on the rack with the others. He walked over to the table and sat down, feeling a new sense of relaxation being around people who knew who he really was. Dr. Agasa and Ai soon joined him, offering him breakfast, but he declined courteously, having already eaten.

"So, Shinichi, what can I help you with? A new invention perhaps?" Dr. Agasa asked.

"Mm, something like that, I guess," he mused. There was a pause as Conan looked over to Ai, who was eating and did not appear to be paying much attention, but he knew she was. "You already know why I'm here, don't you?"

Ai shrugged, not so much as even looking up from her food, but she had known he was addressing her. "Doesn't take a genius detective to figure it out," she replied.

He smirked. He had to admit, she was right. There was a moment of silence, as Dr. Agasa thought for a moment, and when it seemed like he understood what they were talking about, Conan spoke again. Dr. Agasa simply listened to the two converse, enjoying his breakfast.

"Well. You both know I'm why I'm here then…so let's cut to the chase," he urged. He took off his fake Conan glasses and set them on the table. He wanted to be spoken to seriously as Shinichi; not Conan. "The cure…will it be ready by her birthday? How long will it last?"

Ai had finished her breakfast and wiped off her mouth with a napkin. She took the last sip of her orange juice and turned to Conan. "Yes, it'll be ready; I'm going to finish it in time, all right? Just relax and just take comfort in knowing that you _are_ going to be able to go as yourself," she said. "You'll be the first to know when I run more tests and find out more specifics about the cure itself, so don't be hasty."

"I'm _not_ trying to be hasty," he argued. "And I've been patient for almost a year now." There was annoyance in his voice, but it was not directed towards Ai or Dr. Agasa.

"Then a couple more days won't make a difference, now will it?" Ai responded coldly.

Conan grumbled at the thought of having to wait even longer, but he was happy that at least he would be able to find out soon – very soon. He gave a smile and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess –"

Just then, a familiar ring tone echoed throughout the room, and yet at the same time it was a sound Shinichi couldn't very well remember. He froze, listening to it to find out exactly where the sound was coming from, but he quickly realized what it was. He relaxed and pulled out his cell phone, which had been vibrating in his pocket, and he immediately looked at the ID caller to make sure the person calling was who he thought it was – and indeed, he was correct.

_Mouri, Ran_.

He smiled and walked to a nearby window to make sure he would get good signal, as he pulled out his bowtie and changed it to the frequency of his normal Shinichi voice. His smile turned into a playful smirk as he flipped up his phone to answer it.

"Up early today, are we?" he asked playfully.

Ran was taken aback for a few seconds by the abnormal greeting, but then took comfort in it, knowing that only Shinichi would ever greet her in such a manner over the phone. She smiled upon hearing his voice; just knowing he was alive gave her some satisfaction.

"I could say the same to you," she replied, as her lips curled into a smirk as well. "What've you been up to, Mr. Detective? You finally solve that big case yet?"

He scratched his head. "No…" he replied bluntly. He opened his mouth to keep talking, perhaps add an excuse or two… but he decided against it.

"I see. So the great detective has _two_ cases he can't solve now, eh?" Ran teased. "Are you sure you're not losing your touch, Sherlock?"

"Wait – two?" he asked, puzzled. It didn't take him long to pick up on what she was talking about. "Oh you hush! I'm going to catch that Thief, you just wait!"

Ran laughed. "Of _course_ you are," she said.

"I will!" Shinichi reiterated again.

Ran just laughed again and shook her head. "Well…anyway…" she said. "When do you think you'll be able to get a break from all these cases of yours? I mean, you can't be working on them 24/7..." Her voice softened with her sudden drop in confidence, for fear of what Shinichi's answer might be.

He just smirked. "I _might_ have a day's break or two..." he said. "But there isn't really anything_ important_ going on, now is there? No holidays or anything and certainly no _birthdays_… right?" He had made it a point to sound more sarcastic than ever.

Ran just raised an eyebrow, and then she smiled, shaking her head. "You knew all along, didn't you?" she asked.

"Naturally," he replied in a cocky tone of voice, still smiling.

"So you can come then?" she asked excitedly.

"Ran, have I ever missed any of your birthdays?" he retorted.

"No…" she replied. "But it seemed like you were going to."

Shinichi shook his head. "Ran, Ran, Ran," he said. "Haven't I always told you things aren't always as they seem?"

Ran giggled. "True, I guess you're right," she replied with a smile.

"I always am."

Ran and Shinichi said the words at the exact same time, and she had to stifle a laugh as Shinichi seemed confused for a few moments, trying to figure out what had happened.

"Whaa? How did you – "

"I'm psychic," Ran said, winking. "Or maybe you're just predictable."

Shinichi laughed. "Or maybe you just know me too well," he replied.

"Or that," Ran agreed. They both giggled for a little bit, followed by a silent pause.

"So, soon-to-be birthday girl, what time is your party?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, well I put four o'clock on the invitations, but I really don't care," she said. "Just as long as you show up!"

Shinichi nodded. "I will, I will," he replied. "I promise."

"You better," Ran said threateningly. "You may be the great detective of the East, but I can still kick your ass and you know it!"

He just smirked. "Wouldn't it be a bit hard to kick my ass if I'm not there, Miss Karate Champion?" he retorted.

"SHINICHI!" she bellowed, so loud that Shinichi had to take the phone away from his ear for the moment to salvage his hearing. She was even loud enough for Dr. Agasa and Ai to hear, and they both tried to hide their teasing smiles.

"Kidding, kidding!" Shinichi replied. "Relax! I'll be there, okay?"

Ran narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she replied. "Just remind me to slap you when you get here."

"Yes ma'am," he said chuckling.

"Oh, I better get going. My dad finally woke up, and he's yelling for his breakfast," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you at the party, okay?"

"All right," he replied. "Talk to you later, then."

"Bye!"

They both hung up with smiles, and Ran was so happy she could barely be angry at her father anymore. She looked forward to her birthday more than ever; her worries were over. Shinichi's, however, were a different story…

* * *

_Hope you guys enjoyed it so far! Please R&R and you can expect the next chapter within the next week or so n.n;;_


	2. Problem Solving

**Artful Deception  
Chapter 2:** Problem Solving  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Detective Conan, Shinichi would be back by now! (My way of saying "No, I do not own Detective Conan" xP)

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read! Sorry I didn't reply, but I DO read all of them, just to reassure you guys. xD Here's the second chapter. Enjoy and of course, please tell me what you think. n.n Oh and if you need a little recap – Conan/Shinichi was at Dr. Agasa's house and had just finished talking to Ran over the phone about coming to her birthday party…_

* * *

Remembering his sudden craving for hot chocolate from the night before, Conan politely asked Dr. Agasa for permission to make a cup after he hung up with Ran. He relaxed in silence as he waited for the water to boil, and he got a cynical look from Ai, who now had a book in her hands, almost looking ready to throw it at him.

"And that was the real reason you came here over here, wasn't it?" she asked.

Conan looked over to her with a questioning look. "What, the phone call?" he asked. "Well, yeah, I suppose. But I did want to find out about your progress on the cure as well."

Ai looked at him for a few moments and then focused her attention back on her book once more, turning to the next page. "It's funny," she observed. "A detective of your caliber putting so much importance in a silly birthday party…"

Conan gave a little smirk, setting his elbow on the table and resting his face against his hand. "You say that like it bothers you," he remarked, as he glanced over to the hot water, which still showed no signs of boiling.

She returned his smirk, peeking out from behind her book to look at him. "And what if I told you that it does?"

"You'd be lying," Conan replied with a devilish smile, as if it was the easiest question he had ever answered. He flashed her another smirk before she hid behind her book again, and then the water boiling called his attention. Dr. Agasa had already poured some into a mug for him and was bringing it over along with cocoa mix and a spoon.

"Help yourself, detective," he told him, as he walked back to make himself a cup as well. "Did you want a cup, Ai-kun?"

Ai shook her head. "No thanks, I'm good," she replied. She turned another page in her book and seemed to be very enticed with it.

Conan poured the cocoa mix into the hot water and began mixing, as Dr. Agasa joined them at the table with his own cup. After stirring vigorously with the spoon, Conan finally took a drink of his hot chocolate and seemed satisfied. He gave a sigh of relief, almost feeling as if the hot chocolate was washing his problems away – of course that was far from the truth. Dr. Agasa gave Shinichi a worried look upon noticing his troubled face. "Something bothering you, Shinichi?" he asked.

He looked over to him, and began to mindlessly stir his hot chocolate. "Hmm…well…it's just …Ran is going to want Conan at that party too," he remembered. "And I'm not too sure on how I'm going to get away with being both him and myself at the same time…"

It seemed that whenever one problem was solved, another showed up to take its place. Dr. Agasa took another sip of his hot chocolate and smiled at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Shinichi," he assured him. "We'll help you okay? But before we handle that – do you even know what you're going to get her yet?"

Conan sighed and rested his head on the table. "No…" he replied. "That's another problem I have to solve…"

Dr. Agasa clapped his hands together and looked at the two of them. "Well then!" he grinned. "How about we go shopping today? I'm free, and there's nothing else to do. Besides, I may want to pick up something for the little lady myself."

Conan smiled and chuckled a little, amused by his enthusiasm. "Thanks doc," he nodded. "Oh, and for the hot chocolate too."

He smiled. "No problem at all – let's go! The malls should be opening soon," he replied. He looked over to Ai, who showed no signs of movement or interest in going. "Ai-kun, don't you want to come?"

She finally looked up from her book and shrugged her shoulders. "Not particularly," she replied. "You guys go ahead; I'll stay here and keep reading." She put a bookmark to keep her place in her book and walked away carrying it, heading down to the basement where she always was.

Conan finished his hot chocolate and put his mug in the sink, and after Dr. Agasa did the same, they both went out to his car. They headed to the mall, and for the most part they were silent, simply listening to the radio forecast nothing but rain, and going through some light traffic. They got to the mall within ten minutes, and Conan couldn't help but be slightly overwhelmed by the number of stores and people. He decided he'd simply follow Dr. Agasa, for fear that if he wandered off anywhere, he'd get lost in that maze of a place.

"So, where do you want to start?" Dr. Agasa asked, looking around at all the people shopping. He looked a little overwhelmed as well; shopping wasn't something he did often.

Conan looked around at the shoppers too, not recognizing even one face in the crowds. "To be perfectly honest… I have no idea…" he admitted, scratching his head. Dr. Agasa just shrugged and began to walk straight as Conan followed, hoping that the path might lead them to a store with a good gift for Ran. He glanced through the windows of as many stores as he could before he was shoved along by more shoppers, but not a single thing caught his eye.

After about an hour of no progress, they both finally found a vacant bench just outside of what seemed to be just an ordinary shop full of gadgets and trinkets. Conan sighed, mindlessly watching the people go in and out of the shop, buried in his own thoughts.

"Oh cheer up, Shinichi, you'll find something!" Dr. Agasa said.

He gave him a weak smile in return, appreciating the Doc's encouragement, yet at the same time beginning to find it intensively annoying. The sight of a waving hand then caught his eye, and he looked over to see that it was attached to a tan-skinned male, appearing no older than Shinichi's age. There was a female smiling next to him, waving as well, who had dark hair that she kept in a neat ponytail. Shinichi immediately recognized them, and he waved in return as he saw them head over.

"Well, if it isn't the genius professor and the little detective!" Heiji greeted, patting Conan on the head like the little kid he was.

He shot him a small look, but then smiled innocently, quickly remembering that he indeed was a kid – at least as long as Kazuha was around. "Heiji-kun, Kazuha-chan!" hecried excitedly. "What are you two doing here?"

Heiji took his arm off of Conan's head and smiled. "Just doing some shopping for Ran's gift," he said. "Kazuha here wasn't satisfied with the stores we had up in Osaka." He gave her a look that showed that he obviously wasn't satisfied.

Kazuha stuck out her tongue. "Is it that bad that I want to get Ran something special!" she shot back. "And anyway, I have to go to the bathroom, so wait here and don't get lost!"

"_You _were the one that almost got lost earlier, not me!" he shot back.

"I told you, I wasn't lost, AHOU!" she exclaimed, storming off in the direction of the bathroom.

Conan just looked amused. "Funny," he remarked. "You guys were all smiles two seconds ago when you walked over here."

Heiji just laughed. "Yeah, that happens a lot," he said. "I'm used to it…And actually, my dad had some business in the area, so we just tagged along. I was just giving Kazuha a hard time."

He gave a nod. It was a more rational explanation than simply coming all the way to Beika just for shopping, anyway.

Dr. Agasa then turned to Conan, having just remembered something. "Hey, Conan, Heiji is the one that gave you the liquor that turned you back for a few minutes that one time, right?" he asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, but remember? It only works when I'm sick," he reminded him.

"Well still, it may help Ai with the cure you need so much," he said. He turned to Heiji with a smile. "Would you happen to have any of that with you?"

Heiji blinked. "That liquor stuff?" he asked. "No, but you can probably get some in that store over there." He pointed to a small store just a little ways away from them, near the bathroom where Kazuha had gone earlier. He then turned to Conan. "So you're going to be able to go as yourself after all, Kudo?"

Conan shrugged. "As far as I know," he said.

"But what about Conan?" Heiji replied.

"I know," he said. "I'm going to figure that out, don't worry. I just have to solve one thing at a time…"

Just then, Kazuha returned suddenly, and the three turned to her upon noticing. Heiji raised an eyebrow at her with a suspicious look on his face, and Conan had done the same thing practically at the same time.

"That was quick," Heiji remarked, surprised.

"Yeah I know…the line was too long," she said. "It wasn't worth it. Let's keep looking around; I'll try again in a bit."

Heiji nodded and turned to Dr. Agasa and Conan. "Well, see you at the party then," he said. "Good luck."

Conan nodded. "See ya," he said, waving to them as they left. Dr. Agasa followed suit, and it wasn't long before they disappeared into the crowd all together. He then turned back to Conan and got up off the bench they had been sitting on.

"Well, let's go get that liquor then," he said. "And then we'll give shopping another shot, all right?"

He agreed apathetically and followed him to the store Heiji indicated earlier, looking around on the way to see if anything gift-worthy would grab his attention. His eyes had lingered on something in a small stand that sold little kiddy trinkets and games, and it suddenly triggered an idea in him. It was a _good_ idea, and it was certainly something that he needed to do; but the variety of possible reactions he could get made him hesitant. He let it go for the moment, remembering that they were supposed to be getting the liquor to help with the cure.

He sighed, feeling a little awkward looking around for that type of beverage as a mere eight-year-old – and the strange stares from everyone else didn't help much either. When the one bottle of that liquor left on the shelf finally caught his eye, he turned to Dr. Agasa and tugged on his white lab coat to get his attention. He motioned over to the bottle, and Dr. Agasa picked it up, looking at the label and examining it. He looked back to Conan with a questioning look, and he nodded, assuring him that it was the correct bottle to buy. He then followed Dr. Agasa silently to the cashier and waited as he stood in line to pay.

They finally made it out of the store, and to their delight, people were beginning to leave. The two could shop around much easier now, and yet Conan still saw nothing else that seemed special enough for the gift. Stuffed animals, necklaces, rings, earrings; yes, they were all nice, but too easy. So far, his idea he had was still the most original and thoughtful – but he was still hesitant.

Dr. Agasa followed behind Conan now, struggling to keep up as Conan continuously went from store to store, scanning through everything, yet still saw nothing to his liking. Another hour passed, and they finally decided to get lunch at the food court, noticing that it was almost one in the afternoon. They had gotten their food and drinks, and as they ate, Conan seemed deep in thought the whole time. Suddenly it seemed that a switch had clicked inside him; a smirk suddenly appeared on his face, and it seemed that there was no doubt in his mind anymore.

"Wait here, doc, I'll be right back!" Conan exclaimed. With that, he left the table where they were sitting, and had ran to get to the small stand near the store where they had gotten the liquor. He was going to go through with his idea; he wasn't going to be able to do it any other way – and she just had to know.

He rushed and got what he needed quickly, for fear that he might change his mind again, and dashed away from the place, heading back to the food court. He got some odd stares and random comments like 'Where'd he come from!' and 'Who's kid is that!', as he had to push some people out of his way – but he was used to those and didn't really care enough to stop and apologize or say anything.

The only thing that got him to stop was when he felt the vibrating from his pocket again; he was getting another phone call, but in that loud mall, it was impossible to hear it ring – which made him glad he set it on vibrate.

He slowed down to a steady walk as he pulled out his cell phone and gave a weird look, knowing that he only rarely received phone calls ever since he 'disappeared.' He thought that maybe it was Ran again, but upon looking at the number, he discovered that not only was he wrong, but he didn't even recognize it. He lifted his bowtie up to his face, having already adjusted it to his Shinichi voice from that morning's conversation with Ran. He was slightly afraid, but he shook it off and answered it.

"Hello?" he said, in a strong, confident voice.

"You don't have to use your bowtie son, it's just me!" the voice replied. It was the voice of a man – relatively deep – and Shinichi recognized it right off the bat.

"Dad!" he exclaimed, slowly moving the bowtie away from his face. "Where are you calling from? You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought the men in black found my number or something…"

Yusaku just laughed, having just pulled over into a gas station to fuel up his car. "No, no," he said. "That's you being paranoid. It's just me – didn't I tell you about this number?"

Shinichi narrowed his eyes into a glare. "If you had, don't you think I would've known it was you?" he asked.

He chuckled in return. "I guess you're right," he replied.

Of course, that wasn't anything new; the not-so-young boy just rolled his eyes. "So… what's up? Are you with mom?" he asked.

"Yep; she's right here, bugging me for the phone," he replied, smiling, as a very faint 'Hi Shinichi!' could be heard in the background. "We're right in the Beika area. That's why we called!" He grinned. "We were hoping to drop in and see you…"

The eyes of the young detective widened. "Are you serious! How did you manage to get in the Beika area?" he asked, surprised.

His father smiled. "Well, since I just finished the book in the Night Baron series that just got released, my editors and publishers don't need the next one for a while, so they said I could take a break," heexplained enthusiastically. "By the way, did you read it yet?"

Shinichi chuckled. "Well, of course I bought it the first day," he said. "I just started reading it last night. I got pretty far, but no, I didn't finish yet. I do like what I've read so far though – good job!"

Yusaku beamed. "Aw, thanks!" he said. "It's nice to know some people think it's worth the wait. And your mother's going to have a heart attack soon if I don't give her the phone, so here she is." He chuckled, finally handing the phone to Yukiko, who perked up immediately.

"Hello, Shinichi!" she exclaimed. "How've you been?"

He giggled at her enthusiasm. "I've been all right… and you?" he asked.

She smiled upon hearing his voice, even though it was not his true voice as it was supposed to be. "Oh, I'm fine dear, just fine... I just happen to know of _some_one who has a birthday party to go to within the next week who's in _quite_ the predicament…" she replied teasingly.

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Haha, mom, very funny," he said.

Yukiko giggled. "I'm just giving you a hard time, hun," she said, winking. "But seriously, did you figure out a way you're going to see her? You know, as yourself? You know she's going to want you there on her special day."

He nodded and sighed a little, being reminded of the little problems he had been trying to solve. "Yes, yes I know mom," he replied. "And as far as I know, Haibara has that covered…it's just that she's going to want Conan there too, and frankly, I'm not sure how I'm gonna pull that off. I mean, Haibara _could_ disguise as him again, but… I just don't feel comfortable asking for another favor. She's already doing a lot for me…"

His mother smiled, as she offhandedly thought of a solution to the problem. "You should've told me from the start!" she replied. "If you remember, I also created the identity of Conan's mom. I could easily get you out of the agency for a few days – how does that sound?"

His eyes widened thoughtfully and his lips curved into a smile. "Just crazy enough to work," he remarked. "But…what excuse would you use? To get out of something like a birthday party…it'd have to be pretty good."

"Oh, I dunno," she shrugged. "Your father being deathly ill, your grandmother dying…something along those lines I suppose. Don't worry about that; I'll handle it, okay?" She winked and smiled devilishly.

"Sure, sure," he replied. "I'll trust you. Thanks mom, I definitely owe you one!"

Yukiko laughed. "You owe me a lot more than that dear, but all right!" she said. "I'll call Ran later and take care of everything. But first, when can we see you? Are you at Dr. Agasa's?"

"No, not right now – I'm at the mall doing some…shopping," Shinichi said. "We're done though; after we finish lunch we're going home. Can you meet us there in about a half an hour, maybe?"

She nodded. "Will do, hun. See you soon!" she said, right after which he heard a farewell from his father as well in the background. They both hung up and he continued walking to the food court, feeling very relieved. He now had a present for Ran; he was going to be able to go to her party without worrying about Conan…how could he not be in a good mood?

He found Dr. Agasa again, still sitting at the table, and he also saw his food he had left there, reminding him that he was still hungry. He put the bag with Ran's present next to him on the ground and finished off the food he had left, taking pauses in eating to tell Dr. Agasa about his parents calling and how his major problem from before had been solved. He proceeded to tell the Doc that they would be at his house in a half an hour to see the two of them, and he looked delighted.

"It will be wonderful to see your parents again!" he exclaimed. "And it looks like all your problems have been solved, am I right?"

Conan smiled. "Looks like it," he said. "So let's go!" He quickly finished the last bite of his food and threw away the trash, putting the tray back where it belonged to be reused. They both seemed to be in a good mood now, as they headed out to the car, Conan holding the bag of which he had yet to reveal the contents to Dr. Agasa.

As Dr. Agasa drove out of the parking lot, he curiously looked over to the bag which Conan now held protectively. "Is that Ran's present?" he asked.

"Yup," Conan replied, suddenly confident in his idea he had.

There was a pause, as Dr. Agasa waited for him to go on to say what it was, but was sadly disappointed. "What…what is it?" he asked curiously.

Conan simply smirked, saying nothing for a while, contemplating how exactly to reply. He could've said nothing; he could've shown him what it was, and told him his idea… but, in the end, he found simple words that were somewhere in between; and they would suffice.

"I'm finally…gonna tell her…"

* * *

_Teehee, don't worry, you'll find out what he got her soon enough! Please keep reading. Hope you liked the chapter!_


	3. Seven Days

W00t, made it to chapter 3, go me! As always, thank you guys for reading and reviewing, and I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story. Sorry about the long waits; it takes me a while to get these chapters done, especially now with exams u.u They'll be over with next week, thank god. Anyway, go ahead and read :D

**Recap:** Shinichi got Ran's present, and his mom basically solved one of his major problems he was having and saved his ass. YAY. Lol.

**Chapter 3: **Seven Days

"Thanks for the ride, doc!" Conan called happily.

He waved to the small car that had just dropped him off at the Mouri Detective Agency as it pulled farther and farther away. Dr. Agasa was headed home; it was around four o' clock, and Conan had finally decided to return to his 'home' at the Mouris' for dinner. He had finally seen his parents for the first time in months, and for once, it wasn't on some cheesy television show. He was actually able to physically talk to them, and_ boy_ did they have a lot to catch up on.

Ever since he was shrunken, he'd never been able to talk to his parents the same way. It was almost like a wall had been built between them, constantly keeping them apart – after all, they weren't exactly supposed to know each other. But all that would change soon; or so he continued to tell himself.

"Conan?"

The boy perked up suddenly, and then looked across the table to see Ran calling his name. "Oh, sorry, Ran-neechan…did you say something?" he asked.

She frowned. "I _said _your mother called today," she repeated herself. "Boy, you sure seem distracted. Are you all right?"

He giggled nervously. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, seriously!" he assured her. "I just have…a lot on my mind right now, that's all…what did my mom want?" He seemed mildly interested, curious to know what excuse his mom had ended up pulling out of her extraordinary hat.

"Apparently your grandmother is sick in the hospital, and she wants to take you to go visit her for a while, maybe a week or so," she said replied. "I think she said she was in Hawaii? I don't remember, but you'll be taking quite a trip. She was on vacation."

"Oh no, I hope she's okay!" Conan exclaimed. He always had a feeling the acting skills he inherited from his mother would come in handy sometime, and they had constantly been tested many times ever since he'd been shrunken.

Ran smiled at him and gave him a small pat on the head. "I'm sure she's fine," she replied. "Your mother didn't sound too worried on the phone, but she did want you to go see her and spend some time with her."

Conan just nodded with a smile. "And I will," he said. "Did she happen to say when she's going to be picking me up?"

She seemed to be thinking, but the subtle troubled look on her face told him that she was only pretending. "Er...Thursday or Friday, I believe?" she replied.

He knew he would have to do this; he knew he would have to deal with Ran's disappointment over Conan missing her birthday party. But despite his prior knowledge, he still felt unprepared; unsure of himself. Ran had always been so sensitive, and consoling her wasn't always easy – hell, it never was. Yet as himself, he never failed to succeed. He guessed that now was a good a time as any to find out if he still had the same charms as an eight-year-old.

"But Ran-neechan, your birthday!" he exclaimed.

"I know, Conan, I know…" she replied. "Don't worry about it, all right? I never like making a big deal out of it anyway. Your grandmother's much more important, so you go on and do what you have to do, and don't feel bad. Okay?"

Conan looked down, slowly picking at his dinner, which by now had gotten cold. "Okay… I will," he said.

"Conan, look at me," Ran said. She snapped her fingers at him to get his attention, as Conan looked at her right in the eyes. "You won't worry about missing my silly birthday when you should be worried about your grandmother, right?"

He shook his head. "Er, no, Ran-neechan. I won't…" he said.

She smiled and got up, petting him on the head. "Good!" she said cheerfully. "Now, do you want a drink while I'm in the kitchen?"

Conan gave her a weak smile; he could tell by her facial expression alone that she was disappointed, but she was trying to hide it. He sighed, deciding that there wasn't much he could do about it if she insisted on hiding it…hopefully, Shinichi making an appearance would make her forget all about the little kid who could never seem to mind his own business. "Actually, milk would be great," he said with a grin. "Thanks."

She smiled and happily obliged, getting herself her own glass of soda. She came back in the room just in time to hear the front door open, and they both glanced over to find Kogoro – completely sober for once.

"Hey, dad," Ran greeted him. "Dinner's on the table, but sorry, Conan and I were hungry so we didn't wait for you."

Kogoro just waved his hand. "Ah, don't worry about it," he said stretching. "I'm so starved I probably wouldn't have paid attention anyway. Where is it?"

Ran just sighed and shook her head. "Where it_ always_ is, dad," she said. "On the dining table, in the dining room." She pointed in the direction, and she smirked, taking a pause. "What, do you need me to show you the way, too?"

Little Conan, who had been listening, couldn't help but giggle, as Kogoro grumbled and stormed in and whacked him on the head, as he usually did. "I heard that, you brat!"

"Ow!"

The boy grumbled, glaring at him, secretly wishing that Ran would send him one of her famous karate kicks, but he decided he just wasn't worth thinking about. "Ran-neechan, I'm going to go up to my room, okay?" he told her. "Maybe to read or something."

She nodded in complete understanding. "All right Conan, don't forget to do your homework, too," she reminded him.

"I won't," he said, and with that he walked up the stairs and found his way to his room. He immediately found his cell phone and he dialed his dad's new number, waiting for an answer.

"Hey, Shinichi! Your dad's in the shower at the moment, so I picked up for him. Is everything okay?"

It was Yukiko who picked up. He had forgotten – as long as they were back in Beika, they would be staying at their own house. He could've just called his own home number; but it didn't matter now. "Yup, everything's going great mom," he said. "It's all going off without a hitch. I can't thank you enough."

She grinned. "Don't mention it, hun, I'm just glad it worked," she said. "I haven't acted as Miss Edogawa in a long time, I was so afraid I'd be too rusty!"

Conan just laughed. "Nope, everything's fine. Just thought I'd let you know that," he said. "Tell dad too, okay? I'm gonna read some more of his book before I take a shower and just relax."

His mother nodded, seeming quite pleased. "All righty then, take care of yourself," she said.

"I always do. Talk to you later," he said.

They both hung up, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Shinichi could breathe easy. He picked up his father's new Knight Baron book, opening up to the page he had bookmarked, and began to read, slowly and carefully, like he had all the time in the world.

* * *

Ran had finally handed out her invitations, and everything was pretty much set and done for the party. Luckily, her birthday was to fall on a Saturday that year, making her decision of when to hold the party relatively obvious, and there wasn't too much conflict.

It was Friday – the morning that Conan was to be picked up to 'visit his grandmother in Hawaii,' and everything had already been handled at his elementary school. He already packed his clothes in preparation for his so-called trip, which Conan's mother would pick up from the Mouris before getting Conan out of school at 10am sharp. Everything was perfect; he was finally, finally, _finally_ going to be able to live in his own home again, with his _own_ parents.

He had even been sleeping more soundly at night, which delighted him to no end; however that morning, his sleep had been interrupted by a distinct vibrating sound. Vibrating, continuous and almost ominous; quiet, yet loud enough to wake him up. But what was it?

He sat up in bed, sighing, glancing under his bed, where the sound came from. But of _course_ – it had been his cell phone, which he had so stealthily hidden. But who had the gall to call Shinichi this early, especially when he had been gone for so long? He had a worried feeling again.

"Hello…?" he said groggily with a sigh, sounding very, very unhappy.

"Seven days…"

Conan practically jumped, and he immediately tried to figure out who it was. After he was able to pull himself together however, it didn't take much effort. His eyes narrowed into a glare, and he let out a low growl.

"Who are you, the girl from The Ring?" he asked, annoyed. "What do you want, Haibara?"

"Seven. Days," she repeated. "The cure."

His eyes widened. "What!" he exclaimed. "A whole week! You're kidding!"

She smirked. "For once, I'm not," she said. "You should definitely be able to maintain your original body for about a week. I've run all the experiments I possibly can – and I'm already beginning to make progress on a permanent cure off of this. You may never have to be Conan again…"

Shinichi could feel his heart doing summersaults, as he had to resist the urge to scream out of happiness. "I don't believe this! What a way to start the morning!" he remarked. "That was possibly the best phone call I've ever received in my entire life…"

Ai just shook her head and couldn't help but lightly laugh at his reaction. "Don't get your hopes up now," she said.

"How can you tell me something like that and not expect me to get my hopes up!" he exclaimed, and he almost couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"Because, need I remind you, they are _still_ after you," she said. "A little birthday party is fine, but if you decide to go back to Teitan High for the week, you better watch who you talk to like your life depends on it."

He just stuck out his tongue with a childish 'nyeh' sound; he felt bad, but he really could've cared less at the moment. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. "And I'll be careful! I'm not stupid, you know."

"Then I suggest you stop spazzing, or you'll wake up the whole neighborhood…" Ai said warningly.

He covered his mouth, finally realizing how loud he was being, and was thankful that both Ran and Kogoro were dead-heavy sleepers. "Heh…right," he said.

"Well, that's all I had to say," she said, sounding weak. "I've got more last minute tests to run."

"Mmhmm…" he said. "Thanks…Shiho."

Her eyes widened, and she had almost dropped the phone upon hearing her name. A mix of emotions overcame her, but surprise dominated. "Er – "

"Oh, and do me one last favor," he added, before she could react.

She narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked.

A devilish smirk tugged on his lips as Conan looked down at his watch to see it blink 5:35am.

"Go to sleep."

* * *

Ran walked Conan to school as usual, and Conan tried to keep from smiling, remembering that he was supposed to act sad. Poor little Conan was going to be missing his Ran-neechan's birthday after all.

They got to the front of the school, and Ran just smiled. "Well this is it," she said. "I'll see you in a week, okay, kiddo?"

Conan smiled in return. "Yep! I promise I'll bring you something really, really cool back from Hawaii, okay?" he said reassuringly. Ran just laughed and pat him on the head – the boy had his grown-up moments, but at times, anyone could tell he was truly a kid inside.

"All righty," she said. "Now go, or you'll be late! Go on, go, go!"

She began to nudge him in the direction of the school, and he just laughed. "Okay, okay, if you want to get rid of me _that_ badly," he said jokingly. "Bye Ran-neechan!"

They waved to each other as Conan finally found his way into the classroom, with the Detective Boys already waiting, including Ai.

"Conan!" Ayumi exclaimed upon seeing him. She threw his arms around him and gave him the best hug she could. "I'm going to miss you! I hope your grandmother will be all right, and take lots of pictures for us okay? I've read that Hawaii is really beautiful!"

He sat down in his seat next to Ai, putting his backpack beside him. "I'm visiting my sick grandmother – it's not a vacation you know," he reminded her, giggling.

Ayumi frowned. "I know, I know…" she said. "I didn't mean it like that! I just – "

"It's o_kay_, Ayumi, I get it," Conan replied simply. "I was only teasing." He wondered why she had acted so sensitive around him, always taking everything so seriously – it was rather cute, in a kiddy way, but he never understood it.

"Man, you're lucky, Conan!" Genta chipped in.

"Yeah, Conan!" Mitsuhiko agreed hastily. "You get to miss school for a whole week, and for a cool place like Hawaii, too! You just have the perfect life, don't you!"

Conan just laughed, and he saw a smile from Ai too. _Oh, if only they knew…_ he thought.

Just then, their teacher had walked into the room, making everyone go silent and stand up to greet her together as they always did. The teacher nodded in approval, and everyone sat down, their attention focused on her.

"Good morning, everyone," she said smiling. "If you would please take out your homework from last night, I'll come around and give you a sticker for it and we'll begin."

Everyone immediately went shuffling around in their backpacks, eagerly looking for the small Math worksheet they had been assigned for homework the previous night. It had some multiplication problems, and some addition as well, just to review from last year. Of course, Conan took no more than five minutes on the thing. He pulled it out of his backpack, putting it out on front of him on his desk, and then glanced over to the clock. _Just 2 and a half more hours…_ he thought, sighing.

He glanced over to Ai, who had her head down on her desk, but you could see the worksheet poking out from under her.

"Ai-chan, sit up, please," the teacher said sternly, walking up to them. "And may I see your homework?"

Ai sighed, lifting her head up off of her desk and just propped it up on her hand instead. She handed her the worksheet without a word, and she put a sticker on it, looking pleased. She handed it back to her with a smile.

"Nicely done. And you, Conan?" she asked, turning to him.

He handed her his worksheet, and she did the same thing, as Ai waited for her to walk away so she could lay her head down again. She walked off, continuing to put stickers on all the homework that she'd seen, and then finally returned to the front of the class.

"All right! Well, since all of you seem to have done that homework with no problem, if there are no questions, I say we work on some practice problems so that you'll be ready for your quiz on Monday," she said. She then turned her attention to Conan, who had still constantly glanced at his watch and the clock on the wall. "Conan, you'll have to make it up when you get back."

He suddenly turned to the teacher upon hearing his name. "Huh? Oh! Erm, yes ma'am," he agreed, upon registering what she had said.

_Stop looking at the clock, Kudo, you _know_ you won't speed it up by staring at it…_ Conan kept telling himself, finding it hard to keep his attention on multiplication and addition that he had learned _ten_ years ago.

"CONAN!" the teacher barked.

He nearly jumped out of his seat, his eyes widening as he quickly turned to the teacher once again. "Er…yes ma'am?" he asked. Ai smirked – her head had been down, as she struggled to keep herself awake, but she had looked like she had been paying attention all the same.

"Would you care to tell us the answer to the problem on the board?" she asked, pointing to the whiteboard on which the teacher had written in a very dark blue marker.

"Thirty times two – that would be sixty, ma'am," he said.

"Very good…" his teacher said suspiciously. "And…twenty two times three?"

"Sixty-six," Conan replied instantly.

"Twenty times five?"

"A hundred."

The teacher gave him a look of approval. "Soo, it looks like these simple problems are too easy for you then, hmm, Conan?" she asked. "Let's try this one…"

She began to write on the board, as Conan sighed, making a face. He figured if he answered this question, she would get off his back. The teacher stood aside so Conan could see the problem.

"Twenty three times two…plus nineteen…minus two…times five…" Conan read. He let out a groan – in his level math, he was accustomed to a calculator. It annoyed him that he couldn't use one, but regardless, he began to work it out in his head. "Three-hundred and…and…"

Ai sighed, looking up from her desk once again. "Fifteen," Ai added.

The teacher was quite surprised to find that they hadn't even worked out anything on paper – and they had gotten the answer too.

"Well, well," she said. "It seems I've underestimated you two…Three-hundred and fifteen, good job."

The teacher demonstrated how to get to the answer, explaining that a complicated problem as that wouldn't be on the quiz. Conan just let his head fall onto the desk. _Stupid basic arithmetic_, he thought. _I'd rather be solving equations and proving theorems…_

At 10am, he had been picked up just as planned. He was more than ready to go, and as soon as he got into his house, he laughed, running up to his book collection, which had collected dust over the months he was absent.

"My books! My room! My house!" he shouted excitedly with a grin. "It's all still here – all of it!"

His parents just laughed, coming in behind him as they took of their coats. "Well of course, dear, did you think they were going to run away?" Yukiko asked.

Conan smiled. "No…" he said. "But still… oh, and thank you so much for getting me out of that class. I wouldn't have been able to take it for another second…"

His mother smirked proudly. "I had a feeling that would be the case," she said. "But now you're stuck at home instead, so I suppose it's not that much better…I mean, it's not like you can do anything until your friend comes home to give you the cure. Ai-chan, was it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that's her," he replied. "And you know, I'd rather be here at home sleeping than doing stupid addition and multiplication problems, anyway."

Yusaku laughed. "I never liked basic arithmetic either," he replied.

"Hey, how long are you guys going to be in the area anyways?" Conan asked.

His father just shrugged. "Around this time next week, probably," he replied. "My editors will be bugging me eventually, so I guess I'll just wait until then…by the way, did you finish my latest book yet?"

Conan pulled the book out of his bag. "Only a few more pages," he said, smiling.

He sat down and read in his comfortable chair right near his giant book collection, and after he finished, he got up and stretched, turning to his father.

"Nice ending dad – and it's not a cliffhanger for once," he remarked. He added the book to the rest of his collection, and headed over to the stairs to go up to his room. "I'll be in my room if you guys need me, 'kay?"

He walked up and went into his room with the bag full of his things that his mother had gotten for him from the Mouris, and then pulled out Ran's present, which was easily the most important thing in the bag. He smiled to himself, more confident than ever – he couldn't wait for the next day.

((I promise, you'll find out what it is next chapter :D))


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